Step aside, Trainers and Coordinators! Make way for the Pokeathletes, the latest “class” of trainers to hit Furoh!

The pokeathlon challenge is handled in a similar fashion to contests. Each pokeathlete travels the country to obtain five medals from official jockeys, leading up to an Olympic-style event in Daioh. The grand finale will end with a battle with the Pokeathlon Champion.

History: The Furoh Pokeathlon Association (FPA) was recently established by its Johto equivalent. Prior to its establishment, pokeathlon officials scoured the land for five worthy men and women to hold the title of "jockey". The establishment of domes (gym/contest hall equivalents) was kept in total secrecy prior to the official reveal.

Match Layout: Matches are set up like contests. A group of prospective pokeathletes will participate in 3 events to test out a certain attribute (power, stamina, etc.). Both pokemon and pokeathlete must work together to attain a high score. In some events, both human and pokemon are on the field competing. Needless to say, injuries are commonplace.

The best of the bunch will go on to battle the jockey for the medal. The match is 3 vs. 3 doubles or single match. The jockey bases his/her team on a chosen attribute, with moves complementing the choice. Winning the match gets the pokeathlete the medal. Gathering all five medals earns pokeathletes a ticket to Daioh to compete in the Pokeathlon Olymics for a chance to be crowned Pokeathlon Champion.

RULES: Characters must win either 2 out of the 3 events or the last event worth uber points to move on to the battle (depends on RPer preference). Winners will be determined by a mod judging RPer performance. The winner of the battle against the jockey will be determined by coin toss.

EDIT: Note the 3 vs. 3 match. That means you'll need three pokemon to participate. Also, one pokemon for each event.

Appearance: Valda has short blond hair and blue eyes. Through years of construction work, she has a muscular build, though muscles aren’t bulging out. Valda generally wears black leather pants with a white button-up blouse along with a pair of heeled boots. Her outfit is devoid of jewelry of any kind; Valda does not see the purpose of it. When she’s working on a building, she usually wears denim overalls and a simple T-shirt, plus a yellow hard hat. Her whip remains by her side at all times, though its not used for punishment. The whip is for keeping a steady rhythm during training.

Personality: Through her experiences in construction, Valda sees strength as the sole means to bring things to life. Brains draw plans and money provides for materials, but only the power of hard-working men, women, and pokemon brings things into reality. Those that would be deemed weak have “unexplored potential”; Valda believes everyone can attain her strength. She has complete disdain for the lazy and doesn’t she believe in shortcuts or “easy ways out”.

Bio: Valda descended from the first generation of Petropolitans. Her parents were among the great builders, raising the city to the sky. Following that tradition, Valda grew up on the construction site, watching pokemon and human build the great skyscrapers that mark the landscape. Eventually, she joined the mostly male crew and proved her toughness to all. During lunch breaks, Valda participated in battles with her coworkers, developing her superiority as a trainer.

Currently, she owns her own contracting company, managing all sorts of construction jobs. For big projects, Valda will not hesitate to join her employees on the field. When asked to become jockey of Petropolis, she did not hesitate to seize the opportunity to teach pokeathletes the ideals of disciplined power.

Events:Ring Drop: Sumo wrestling, knocking pokemon out of ring.

Block Smash: Pokemon smash through series of stone blocks as fast as possible without tiring out.

Circle Push: Pokemon fight to stay within a colored spotlight.

Race to the Top: Furoh exclusive. Pokemon and human join forces to race to the top of an unfinished building. Materials are provided to quickly build around or over obstacles. This may include replacing missing steps in a staircase, placing large objects on a sensor, or breaking down a wall. Generally, the human will plan out a way around an obstacle while the pokemon does the heavy lifting.

Dome: The dome in Petropolis is one of the skyscrapers located in downtown Petropolis. While there’s room for administrative purposes and locker rooms, most of the floors are dedicated to a specific event, with empty floors available for new events. The battle takes place on the roof. This area consists of rather Spartan conditions; a cement court marked with white lines to separate opposing sides, similar to a basketball court. Valda wants pokemon alone to determine the outcome of a match. A glass spherical dome surrounds the arena, providing a 360-degree view of Petropolis. An epic view for an epic battle!

Appearance: Shinobu has short black hair kept out of her face with a gray headband. She has brown eyes set upon a soft face. Her outfit consists of a traditional karate uniform; both the jacket and pants are white as snow. Shinobu also sports a brown cloth belt, signifying her rank in her chosen style: Iron Shuckle. She tends to go barefoot even while walking around town. When hiking at Mt. Carello however, she invests in a white snowsuit.

Personality:

Bio: Shinobu was raised in a monastery (doubled as orphanage) not far from Arasam. She was the sole survivor when her family was trapped during a blizzard on Mt. Carello. At the monastery, the monks taught her to respect the mountain and wield its might for herself. They believed that if you could endure the mountain, Carello would respect you and cause you no harm.

She began training in the Iron Shuckle style at a young age. The Iron Shuckle required the user to dodge and block attacks for a majority of the match, taking advantage of an opponent’s weariness and take him/her down. She became quite skilled among her age group, but she still has a ways to go before attaining the level of master.

In pokemon battles however, Shinobu was a prodigy. She used the Iron Shuckle as her main strategy in battles. Visiting trainers were taken by surprise as her pokemon weakened theirs in a battle of attrition. Such skill had even earned her the Emberwing badge at the local gym. Desiring greater challenges, Shinobu took on her next task: maintaining the title of Arasam jockey.

Events:Ring Drop: Sumo wrestling, knocking pokemon out of ring.

Crusher: Furoh exclusive. Pokemon must hold off a large foam pad from moving forward and “crushing” their humans. As time goes on, power behind pad increases, and a second pad begins moving from behind.

Block Smash: Pokemon smash through series of stone blocks as fast as possible without tiring out

Relay Run- Arasam: Pokemon and human must endure treacherous mountain terrain as they race to the finish line. Humans may ride pokemon if they choose.

Dome: Located close to the cliff's edge, the Zen Dome provides the main area for pokeathlon events. Inside, the pathways of smooth pebbles lead to several areas to hold events. Giant bonsai trees dot the landscape, often around manmade ponds filled with lilies and goldeen. Everywhere around the dome, one can hear the sound of waterfalls of varying sizes. While the steel frame of a dome hangs over the area, nothing comes between the cool mountain air and visitors to the dome. The arena area is located on a large piece of land in the middle of a large pond. Lush green grass covers the surface, while large lily pads provide additional land. A large waterfall occupies one side of the battle area, while the stunning view of the surrounding mountain range takes the other. In between matches, Shinobu and the monks use this area to meditate.

Appearance: Amon has green eyes placed on his heavily tanned skin. His head his almost devoid of hair, save for a large fluff of dark green hair kept in a ponytail. One could say he resembles an oddish, aside from his clothes. His outfit consists of a green cotton tunic that reaches down to his knees, black nylon-polyester athletic pants, and white sneakers. He also tends to travel on a pogo stick; his bouncing ponytail proves to be quite hypnotic.

Personality:

Bio: Amon was always a great admirer of Gigarte founder Silver. Though they never met, Amon read of Silver’s creative genius when he was a kid. With his artistic side inspired, he set out to become a painter. His tools were not brushes but feet; Amon and his pokemon dipped their feet into puddles of paint and jumped upon large canvases. They did everything from landscape to abstract, several of which earned their place in the Gigarte Art Museum.

His battle skills didn’t blossom until the Great Weedle Infestation years ago. After residents were feeding honey to beedril colonies, weedle populations skyrocketed. Gigartens were suffering from increased sting incidents and ruined crops, threatening their independent lifestyle. Some leaders were tempted to fumigate all of Gigarte to destroy the weedle, a blasphemic suggestion to many. Amon did not want to see Silver’s utopia resort to chemical warfare; natural methods must work. Still just a teen, he called upon his classmates and other trainers to fight off the weedle. His own flying pokemon proved vital to decreasing weedle populations. Amon and his friends were proclaimed as heroes. Because of his actions in Gigarte, the Pokethelon Association chose him as the local jockey.

Events:Hurdle Dash: Pokemon race to the finish line while jumping over hurdles and through hoops, both laced with poison ivy. Touching the obstacles results in a nasty rash and point loss.

Lamp Jump: Pokemon and humans work together to tag lamps situated among the branches of a large tree. Trampolines provided for non-flyers

Disc Catch: Pokemon and humans must catch multi-color Frisbees to earn points. Teams are situated on top of a wooden platform; falling off would mean landing in poison ivy.

Dome: Many of the events take place within the Canopy Dome, a massive treehouse built within the branches of several trees. It is located within a whole neighborhood of treehouses, a growing fad in Gigarte culture. The events themselves take place outside the dome, leaving room for dressing and the large battle arena. Battles take place on top of a giant trampoline under a ceiling of tree branches (obviously forming a dome shape). Lamps among the trees provide lighting, but pokemon must be able to adapt quickly to the unstable surface or risk losing.

Appearance: Robin has red hair of medium length, styled in a way to form a lion’s mane. Her equally red eyes have perfect vision, ideal for her skills in archery. She wears a black long-sleeve shirt that exposes her belly, a camouflage-pattern poncho, a green skirt with slits on each side that expose a bit of both her legs, and sturdy brown leather boots for traversing the forest.

Personality:

Bio: Robin grew up in the dense rainforests of northern Fidona, where several Amazon tribes continued their traditions. As a young Amazon, she learned to hunt with a bow, fish with a spear, and incapacitate foes with a throw of a boomerang. These activities trained Robin into a successful hunter. Her prey did not consist of pokemon but poachers out to destroy the land. She became a bounty hunter, working to keep Fidona free of criminal activity. Run-ins with poachers often result in pokemon battles; Robin’s pokemon prove to be equally skilled as their master.

After a good word from King Maxi, the Pokeathlon Association sought her specialties to make her Fidona’s jockey. Robin accepted on one condition: only those able to traverse the rainforest will be worthy to challenge her. Even the Amazon tribes agreed to host worthy challengers. It was a chance to show outsiders what it takes to become an Amazon.

Events:Lamp Shot- Fidona: Pokemon must use projectile attacks to tag lamps hung among the branches of a large tree.

Mud Throw: Like Snow Throw, but with mud. Still pokemon tend to sink in mud, leaving them as easy targets.

Pennant Capture- Fidona: Pokemon and humans must navigate dense rainforest to gather as many pennants as possible.

Down-n-Up Goals: Furoh exclusive. Taking place in a small rock quarry, pokemon and humans guard their goal while trying to get the ball into another goal. The first half plays like soccer/football, while the second half switches goals for hoops in a game of basketball.

Dome: Fidona’s dome is far from the Fidona capital, within a large valley known as “Titan’s Mark”. It shares this location with an Amazon villiage. Many of the residents believe the valley was created by the fist of Regigas. Getting to the remote area proves to be a challenge itself, forcing participants to brave miles of dense forest before even signing up. Many of the events take place within the villiage, where residents volunteer to set up and tend to guests. The dome is actually no bigger than a shack, consisting of one room with a hole in the floor. This hole leads to an expansive cavern full of rock formations and suspicious shadows. This is where the battle takes place. Robin takes full advantage of the stealth opportunities, allowing her pokemon to snipe opponents from hiding places.

Appearance: Hermes has blue eyes and curly blue hair styled into an afro. He wears a tan tank top, black shorts that cover his knees, and red tennis shoes. Hermes is often seen on his green bike (or a jet ski) as he races around the city.

Personality:

Bio: Some would say that Hermes was born on top of a bicycle. He was a natural when he first started riding as a kid. Hermes was deemed the fastest paperboy in Barley, making a pretty hefty sum of money as a result. As an adult, he eventually started a cycling club, where dozens of people would ride around Barley together. That’s where he met his wife, Peg. They eventually married and raised two kids.

As a young father, Hermes started to worry about safety in the area. As the gateway to Furoh, Barley had its share of amateur trainers looking for trouble. Hermes joined the neighborhood watch and started battling trainers. Turns out he was a natural at this as well; Hermes used small, fast pokemon to outwit big brutes. Together with the police, Barley became a much safer place to visit. As an outstanding trainer, the Pokeathlon Association gladly appointed him as Barley’s jockey. As owner of a vehicle rental service, Hermes was happy to bring more business to the city.

Events:Hurdle Dash- Barley: Pokemon race to the finish line while jumping over hurdles. The catch? The course is made up of large discs floating over Barley Bay. One wrong step could send a pokemon into the ocean.

Relay Run- Barley: Humans ride on top of pokemon as they race through an obstacle course. It starts on the beach, then towards a closed off area of Barley Boardwalk, through the warehouse district, and ending at the docks. Obstacles abound all over, as do shortcuts. In addition, the dock narrows into a single pier leading to a ferry, allowing only one pokemon at a time. The winner gets to be on the ferry. Everyone else must stop before they ride into the ocean.

Blindfolded Bike Race: Furoh exclusive. It’s exactly like the Relay Race, only the humans are on bikes and blindfolded. Small pokemon must direct their trainer in the right direction while going as fast as possible.

Riolu Wrangle: Furoh exclusive. Pokemon and human must outrun and outwit a clan of riolu and obtain their tags. The game takes place inside a fenced enclosure with no obstacles around. The riolu love to trip their pursuers and otherwise make them look like total idiots. Leave your pride at the door.

Pennant Capture- Barley: Water pokemon must swim through a coral reef to obtain the most pennants. Humans are also searching for pennants, but only pokemon are allowed to obtain them. Humans and pokemon communicate via waterproof headset.

Dome: Connecting a network of piers, the dome is accessed from Barley Beach. Since several events take place on the water, there are a number of boats and even yachts to provide access to trainers and an audience. The dome’s main purpose is to serve as a locker room and sign up area. The battles take place at sea, on an archipelago of sandbars. Hermes’ fast pokemon use their speed to take the battle all around, even walking on water to avoid attacks.